The Omniprocessor Linking Sanitation & Energy

The Gates Foundation-funded Omni processor plant takes human waste and converts it into drinking water and electricity, helping to meet two of the developing world's biggest needs at once

Much progress has been made in pursuit of the Millenium Development Goals. Between 1990 and 2012, an estimated 2.3 billion people gained access to improved drinking water. As a result, at least in part, the number of children dying from associated diarrheal diseases has been slashed from around 1.5 million in 1990 to just over 600,000 in 2012.

While such significant improvements are welcomed, there remains a great deal of work still to be done. The most recent figures from the World Health Organisation indicated that 2.5 billion, roughly a third of the world's human population, still lack access to improved sanitation. At the same time, one billion people practice open defecation, increasing the risk of disease, and an estimated 1.8 billion people drink water that is faecally contaminated.

Put crudely, the developing world has far too much human excrement and far too little safe drinking water. Help may well be at hand though, with the development of a new type of sewage treatment plant that takes in human waste and uses it to generate electricity and safe drinking water.

Boiling sewage into biomass and drinking water

Developed by Seattle-based engineering group Janicki Industries, the Omni Processor works to break down raw sewage into its constituent parts of water and biomass, using the biomass to boil the water and make it safe to drink. The S100 model, which was funded through a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2013, was originally intended to turn sewer sludge into electricity but was later altered to include a water treatment system.

The process works by boiling the sewage at a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius in a large drying tube to separate it into dry solids and water vapor. The dry solids are then fired to turn water vapour into steam that is used to power a steam engine and generate electricity. Finally, the steam is condensed back into water that is as pure as distilled water. With the electricity generated sufficient to power the cycle, the OmniProcessor offers a self-sustaining method of power and water generation.

At full capacity, the S100 can process 12.3 cubic meters of sewer sludge to produce 10,800 liters of drinking water and 150kW of electricity, though this can be increased if less water is needed. The water, which can be produced with sewage that has a moisture content of up to 84%, is both FDA and WHA approved.

Tasty and safe to drink

With the Omni Processor seemingly offering a solution to two of the major issues for the developing world, just how big an impact might it have?

Speaking about the technologies dual-service of generating water and electricity, Bill Gates said: "The processor wouldn't just keep human waste out of the drinking water; it would turn waste into a commodity with real value in the marketplace. It's the ultimate example of that old expression: one man's trash is another man's treasure." In a video to promote the technology, Gates also drank the water and said: "The water tasted as good as any I've had out of a bottle. And having studied the engineering behind it, I would happily drink it every day. It's that safe."

For Ada Oko-Williams, sanitation technical support manager at WaterAid, the Omni Processor holds the potential for change but must prove economically feasible: "If the technology can be rolled out at a scale that makes it viable for smaller investors or entrepreneurs, then this could be a catalyst for changing the sanitation landscape in urban areas in the developing world."

In order to help the technology reach the scale required, The Gates Foundation is providing the funding for Janicki Industries to carry out a trial of the S100 in Dakar, Senegal. Set to start later this year, the trial will enable the team of engineers, who will work closely with local authorities and communities, to test out everything from where best to locate the unit to how to ensure its upkeep and carry out maintenance.

Source: Power-Technology

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• Water Distillation
• Technology
• Drinking Water